Sarīyya of Rajī' (Arabic: سریّة الرجیع) was a sariyya (or military conflict) that occurred in early 4/625. In this event, six, or on another account, seven people from the Prophet's (s)companions, who had departed to Adal and Qarra tribes to teach the Qur'an, were trapped, captivated, and martyred in Raji'.

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Raji'

Raji' was a pond between Ta'if and Mecca, and on another account, near Khaybar, after which the sariyya or ghazwa (battle) that occurred in the area is named. The event took place in early 4/625, and on another account late 3/625.

The Beginning of the Event

There are two views of the grounds of the Sariyya of Raji'. On one account, the Prophet (s) dispatched a number of people to Mecca to obtain information about the Quraysh. When they returned from Najdiyya and arrived in Raji', they confronted Banu Lahyan which was a clan of the Hudhayl tribe.

On another account, the conspiracy of Raji' was occasioned by the murder of the head of the Lahyan tribe. To avenge the Muslims, they asked their allies, that is, Adal and Qara tribes, to send representatives to Medina to ask the Prophet (s) to send reciters of the Qur'an and propagators to them. Thus, they sent their representatives to the Prophet (s).

The Prophet (s) appointed Marthad b. Abu Marthad al-Ghanawi as their commander. On another account, Asim b. Thabit was appointed as the commander of the reciters.

When they arrived in the pond of Raji' and the Had'a area together with the representatives of the two areas, the representatives shouted and informed the Banu Lahyan tribe. Thus, the Muslims found themselves among one hundred armed persons from Banu Lahyan, who were lurking for them.

The Muslims fled to the mountain. Banu Lahyan swore that they did not intend to kill them and that they only intended to surrender them to the heads of the Quraysh in Mecca to receive money instead.

Three of the Muslims surrendered themselves in the hope for freedom, but others, including Marthad b. Abu Marthad, Khalid b. Bukayr, Asim b. Thabit, and Mu'tib b. Ubayd, refused to surrender themselves and acquiesce to the words of the polytheists.

Asim b. Thabit rejected the polytheists' safeguard and fought with them. After killing him, the polytheists wanted to sell his head to a woman whose family was killed by Asim, but an invasion of wasps prevented their access to his corpse. Then at night, Asim's corpse was carried away by a heavy rain and flood. Thus, they failed to materialize their intention. Three other Muslims were also killed in the battle.

The Story of the Captives

Banu Lahyan captivated Khubayb b. Adi, Zayd b. Duthna, and Abd Allah b. Tariq, and then moved them towards Mecca in order to surrender them to the heads of the Quraysh. However, in Marr al-Zahran, Abd Allah b. Tariq escaped the captivity and attacked the polytheists with a sword. However, he was hit by stones until he was killed.

The polytheists carried Khubayb b. Adi and Zayd b. Duthna to Mecca and exchanged them with two captives from Hudhayl (who were detained by the Quraysh). The Meccan polytheists killed both Muslim captives in Tan'im. They both asked to say prayers before death, and they rejected the request to exit Islam.

According to some scholars, verses 204 to 206 of the Qur'an 2 were revealed to reproach the hypocrites (Munafiqun) because of the martyrs of Raji'. Hassan b. Thabit composed poems about the event of Raji' and the martyrdom of Khybayb b. Adi.